


#3 Footbook

by DirrtyHaruka, ScaryPunkGh0st



Series: The Walking Dead - Gallows [3]
Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Bonding, Friendship, Other, Parent-Child Relationship, Series, The Walking Dead - Gallows
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-16
Updated: 2019-04-16
Packaged: 2020-01-14 20:35:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18483886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DirrtyHaruka/pseuds/DirrtyHaruka, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScaryPunkGh0st/pseuds/ScaryPunkGh0st
Summary: When Violet and AJ went to a mission, they go astray to look for what AJ calls "The Footbook".





	#3 Footbook

How long ago was it since they had left Texas Two? Two Hours? Four? It felt like more than a day to him. He was happy that Clementine was better, already walking around on her crutches, but these long travels sucked the happiness right out of him. He kicked a stone on the trail in front of him, into the woods. 

“Where is it?”

“AJ, I said I don’t know, ok?” Violet gestured wildly, clenching her hands a little bit. “Aasim said they were heading southwest. They were right past the old safe zone when he spotted them but how should I know if and how fast they move?” Maybe he shouldn’t have asked for the fifth time, she really was getting annoyed with him.

“I’m sorry. I just… hate walking.” He shrugged.

“We all do, AJ. But you knew we would have to walk for a while. It’s important to check… “

“Vi… Violet!” AJ finally managed to interrupt Violet before she could start rambling.

“What?” She turned to him.

“What’s that?” He pointed at the small run down building he saw between the trees a little farther away from them. Violet needed a second to visualize the map in her head, so she could pinpoint where they were.

“Should be the library. Almost forgot there was one.” Before she could explain any further, AJ made a run for the building.

“AJ! Ah… shit! Wait up! “ She followed him to the entrance of the building. Parts of it fell victim to the weather but all in all it still stood its ground. When she finally caught up to him, she stood there in confusion.

“Never saw a kid getting so excited for a library. What’s up with you?” 

“I need the footbook.” AJ stated like Violet should have known what he was talking about.

“A what?” Violet only got more confused after that statement.

“The footbook. To make a new foot for Clem. There has to be one in there.” Violet just stood there for a second, looking down to him being all excited about the ‘footbook’.

“Guess we’re looking for a footbook now. Lead the way. Let’s see what we can find. “ She smiled, but actually just had given in. He was just as stubborn as Clementine was and she knew better as to argue with him just to get nowhere in the end. At least she earned a huge happy grin from AJ before he slowly opened the door, listening into the darkness.

“I don’t hear any monsters.”

“Just stay alert until we scouted the place out. “ Violet armed herself with her meat cleaver, while AJ was holding his gun.  
They slowly moved through the building. Violet in the front, AJ right behind her. The place wasn’t exactly big. Just a run-of-the-mill little public library with all sorts of books stuffed in every nook and cranny.  
While this was a good thing to higher the chances of finding a “footbook” it also made it more dangerous to move through. All the shelves made it hard to see if any danger was imminent. 

“Still nothing.” He was whispering to not alert whatever may be hidden.

“Guess a library isn’t exactly the place you would go to find useful stuff. Maybe nobody went here. So no Walkers.” Violet looked behind some shelves, still nobody there.

“There’s a door in the back. Maybe an exit.”

“Yeah goes out into the employee parking lot behind the building. We’re not far from the main road. Good eye,” Violet said after checking behind the counter. 

“Always look for an exit. That’s the rule.” AJ shot Violet a serious look. 

“I make sure to remember that.” Violet straightened herself, one hand on her hip after putting away the meat cleaver. 

“Guess it’s clear.” She said. AJ nodded in agreement. 

“Let’s look for the footbook!” He was eager to get started. 

“Over at the medical book section I think. But we should hurry, we need to go and scout the caravan.”

“Yea, Yea. But this is important, too! For Clem! “ He made it very clear, that this, in fact, was just as important as the caravan. Maybe even more so. 

“If you put it that way…“ Violet walked over to the section for medical books. 

“Guess we’re looking for books about prosthetics then.” AJ looked at Violet with big eyes. 

“Pros… Proste… That’s difficult to say.” Violet cowered down to AJ. 

“Try it slowly and in parts. Makes it easier. Pros-thet-ics.” AJ looked at her, then at his feet and back to her. 

“Pros-… “

“Thet-“ She repeated for him. 

“Pros-thet-ics. Prosthetics.” He grinned, waiting for Violet to acknowledge that he pronounced the word correctly. 

“Good job, Kiddo.” 

“I still like footbook better, tho” Violet let out an amused huff when he said that. 

“It’s definitely easier to say.” She scanned through the books, AJ doing the same but there were a lot of them. After some time in silence AJ spoke up again. 

“Violet?”

“Mhm?” She was still concentrating on reading the titles on the shelf. 

“Could you teach me more words? This part thing? Later I mean.” Violet looked at him for a moment and smiled. 

“I mean sure but Syllables, that’s the part thing, and learning fancy words are boring though, trust me.” Still AJ was determined. 

“I don’t care. I want to be smart. I mean I’AM smart but I want to be as smart as Clem and you are.” Violet laughed quietly. 

“You sure are smart, Kid. I didn’t know shit when I was your age.” AJ thought for a second if he should call her out for swearing, but then he remembered that Clem said it was ok. 

“But you know more now.” Violet shrugged. 

“I guess.” 

“I think you’re smart. So I wanna learn what you know.” Violet smiled again. 

“Thanks AJ.” She pulled a book from the shelf and handed it to him. 

“That’s the nearest it comes to what you’re looking for.” AJ needed a second to get a good grip on the book. 

“It’s heavy.” He flipped the book and tried to read the back but quickly decided to put it in his backpack, making Violet laugh with his expression on his face. 

“We read it together, ok?“ AJ nodded thankfully. Violet contemplated leaving for a moment but decided otherwise. 

“We still got some time to spare. Should we look around if we find more books that could help us? About plants for the greenhouse and maybe some fun ones, too?” AJ grinned brightly. 

“Yes!” 

“OK then. Let’s see what we can find.” So they went on to look for any helpful books. How to grow specific plants and for what they can be used, books about architecture and how things were built before technology. 

“The bag is getting heavy.” Violet mumbled to herself after she slid another book into it. 

“Violet, look what I found!” AJ sounded very excited.  
She discovered him two shelves over, standing in front of a couple racks full with comics that most likely were donations once. 

“Wow, I never thought I would see so many comics in one place ever again.” She quickly scanned through the titles, found the one she was looking for and grabbed it of the rack. 

“What’s that?” AJ asked. 

“Wonder Woman. Tells the story about a woman who fights evil with special powers. The story is deeper than that, but it’s too much to explain right now. I can tell you all about it when we get back, if you still want to know then.” AJ tilted his head a bit confused. 

“OK. Do you like that story?” Violet nodded. 

“Yeah. I mean I wasn’t a huge fan of it but I mentioned it to Clem a little while ago and kinda hoped I would find one of these to show her someday.” The thought about making Clem happy with some of these, made AJ happy. 

“Let’s grab some more so she can read them!” 

“You should grab some for yourself, too. They’re fun.” He nodded excitingly and quickly started to look through the various comics, while Violet made room in her bag to fit them into it without them tearing. Already with an arm full of comics AJ turned to Violet. 

“These two look like you and Clem do sometimes.” Violet looked over to him and the cover of the comic he was referring to, which showed two women in an loving embrace, kissing. The second the image hit her head, she blushed. 

“Yeah… there are comics like that.” She said slowly. 

“Clem told me about it.” He looked at Violet. 

“About what?” Violet grew nervous. 

“Love stuff.” He tightened the grip on the pile of comics he was holding. 

“Did she?” He nodded. 

“Yea, but I don’t get it. She said that love is different from the family love. Like what Clem and I have, but how? She never told me more about it.”

“Did you ask her more about it?” She didn’t know what she was supposed to do now. 

“No. Didn’t remember till now.” He shrugged. 

“You could ask her when we get back.” Violet hoped she could get away with that. 

“Can you tell me?” He looked at her with big eyes. She knew she shouldn’t have gotten her hopes up on this one. 

“I… well… Shit… It’s, you know, different… Fuck, you already knew that...” AJ frowned. 

“Ruby is right, you do swear a lot.” 

“Well I guess Ruby and I have to chat about the things she says.” Violet grumbled. 

“So you can’t tell me? Why it’s different?” AJ cut back to the chase. Violet sat down onto a pile of books on the ground. 

“It’s difficult to explain, Kiddo. Clem is like your Mum. So of course you love her and she loves you. That’s like… something that is just there, well at least it should be this way. Unconditional love, you know?” Violet felt uncomfortable with the conversation but she still tried. 

“Uncondi…unconditional?” Violet nodded. 

“Yeah, means no matter what any of you do, you will love each other.” AJ tried to understand what Violet was saying. 

“So… if you do something bad, Clem won’t love you anymore? That’s why it’s different?” He seemed worried. Violet let out a deep breath. 

“Could be, yeah. I won’t though. Promise. There is so much more to it than that but you should ask Clem that kind of stuff.” 

“I know. There is kissing and stuff, right?” Violet shot up from the pile of books. 

“Please, just ask Clem about it?” AJ tilted his head. 

“Why?”

“I’m sure she can explain it better than I can. Besides, it’s something she should talk through with you. Not me.” AJ still seemed very confused, but decided to let it rest for now. 

“OK then. I ask Clem later.”

“Good.” Violet relaxed a little. 

“You got everything you want?” AJ handed the little pile over to her. 

“Yes.” She sorted the comics into the bag. 

“We should get going then.” She threw her bag over her shoulder and left the building, AJ close by. Once on the outside, she looked at the sky. 

“Ah shit. It’s already getting late. How long were we in there?” AJ just shrugged. “Guess we should head back. It will be dark before we reach the caravan. That’s too dangerous as   
long as we don’t know what kind of people they are.” AJ let his head sink. 

“It’s my fault. Because I wanted to find the book.” Violet smiled slightly. 

“It’s ok. We found it, didn’t we? We try again tomorrow. I talk with Ruby, maybe we can get a horse, to speed things up a bit, then.” AJ agreed. 

“Yeah, good idea.” 

“Let’s go then.”


End file.
